In our class discussion of Waiting for Godot, somebody brought up the possible nature of Estragon’s memory issues throughout the play. It was never fully addressed in class, but I think, regardless of those who say Godot should not be analyzed but only appreciated for its nonsensicality, that this specific personality trait is something that we can read into – hopefully in a non-”pretentious artsy fellow” kind of way.

I understood Estragon’s horrible memory to be a device used by Beckett to further illustrate and emphasize the Absurdist nature of the play. Repeated throughout, Estragon’s inability to remember the details of his days mocks and undermines the value that society gives to any given moment and instance. In Mrs. Dalloway, for example, we discussed the implications of “leaden circles”, the idea that a moment can bear such weight and significance in a person’s life such that it leaves the person affected even once the moment has “dissolved” and passed. This “day-in-the-life-of”, stream of consciousness novel glorifies the importance of such an instance, of such a moment. So fixated on these singular instances, many of the characters in Woolfe’s novel become trapped in the confines of their memories: Clarissa always toying with the possibilities of past lovers Peter and Sally, Peter constantly frustrated with Clarissa’s decision to leave him and his choice to marry a woman he doesn’t love, and Septimus haunted by the memories of war.

Waiting for Godot is also a “day-in-the-life” story, but unlike Mrs. Dalloway, which takes a dense 194 pages to elaborate upon the thoughts and self-analysis of each character’s play by play on life, Godot cuts straight to the point. In Godot, Estragon can’t remember what he said a minute before in conversation; let alone what occurred 24 hours before. He is not burdened by his past like the characters of Mrs. Dalloway, instead focusing only on “the now” (since that’s all his memory can retain anyways). Beckett, unlike Woolfe, presents a situation to the audience and moves on. It reiterates the Absurdist emphasis on how fleeting and ephemeral time is; to try to create meaning in these moments would be pointless in an irrational world. 

While the idea of accepting of an irrational and meaningless universe can seem daunting, if not totally depressing, it also leaves room for excitement and play. To abandon all preconceived notions of what life is supposed to be and what we want our existences to mean brings a sort of liberation to the decisions we make. To simplistically see life as merely a string of choices to act and randomness presented by the external world, rather than molding it all into some fate-driven bigger picture, gives the individual more power to enjoy a moment as it happens. Furthermore, like the theater of the absurd tries to present, recognizing life’s randomness can replace the emotions of struggle and hopelessness which manifest from the search for order in the universe with feelings of lighthearted, comic playfulness which come when one tries to stop making sense and meaning out of every moment.

Having said that, I relate the ridiculous and nonsensical qualities of Absurdism and The Theater of the Absurd to cartoons created by Don Hertzfeldt. I’m posting a couple of his animations here, “Rejected” and pieces from “The Animation Show”. A study break, perhaps? They are related to the topic only in their absurd and foolish fun. So, like the philosophy states, don’t try to make sense out of the animations and you’ll be at peace with the universe (or at least these videos). Just sit back and enjoy the nonsense.

Advertisement